Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Yarn Along


I was beyond giddy when I found this sweet book in the bargain bin at my favorite local yarn store.  I already have another one of Susan B. Anderson's books, "itty bitty toys", which i'll admit, I haven't actually made anything from just yet. It's not because I haven't wanted to though. The desires are there, it's the skills, you see, that are not. 
I'm still a knitting newbie, but i'm slowly getting the hang of all this, and patterns are starting to make sense. I've always been a hands on, visual learner, so reading about how to do something is a little bit confusing.

My knitting this week was actually rather productive; i've finally gotten comfortable enough that I can put my knitting down if need be, to chase baby, or remove random objects from her mouth etc. Before, I couldn't put anything down mid-row without having a small, but very real panic attack. I'm also able to knit without looking at my work non stop, providing i'm just knitting or purling, which makes it a lot easier to knit at the same time as minding the baby.

I'm just over half way on the
rae, thanks to sweet Rachel for helping me understand the decreases. The pattern had me a touch confused, thinking that the increases and decreases would end up on opposite sides, which wouldn't make much sense.

The yarn i'm using is a little bit odd. It changes consistency in thickness and colour, so some spots end up looking much more lacy than others. It almost looks like I used self-striping yarn.
 I don't mind too much for this project, because it's just a scarf. But if this were something else i'd be a little annoyed. I love the colour though.

I also started the "lovey dovey" that i've been seeing everywhere. I fell head over heels for this sweet little shirt (or dress, depending on how long you make it) and wanted so badly to make this for Lotte for her first birthday. I decided to make it in turquoise, and a buttery yellow for the bodice and hem line. Rather than a heart, I might do her initial, but i'm not sure.

The hem was a bit confusing, but now that i've done it, I get it, and I really like the look of it! I had to call a friend on that one too, to help clarify exactly what I was supposed to do. I'm a little freaked out by the bodice, but i'm not going to worry about it just yet. 

Lastly, I made the head portion of this little mouse last night. I don't want to make the entire mobile, but I do want to have a few little mice for baby gifts.
I'm not going to do any more though until I get some metal double pointed needles (or tiny circulars). Doing this tiny little guy on bamboo with slightly blunt needles nearly made me throw in the towel. Some of the stitches on the decreases were really hard to pull through.

I also get to learn to make I-cord for the arms and legs, something I haven't done before. I'm slightly tempted to just crank some out on my little i-cord machine, but I do want to learn, and it doesn't look terribly difficult, so now is as good of a time as any. However, I think i'd better finish a couple projects that are in the works first!
 
::yarning along with Ginny ::

13 comments:

  1. Your knitting is lovely and I love the yarn you choose for your projects. For a new knitter you knit like a pro!!! Have fun making itty bitty stuff.

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  2. What a great bargain find! I absolutely love that little dress! Can't wait to see how it turns out!

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  3. Finish projects?? What does that mean? I just start a new one as soon as I get bored.... :/
    I disagree that you are a knitting newbie - you have the courage of a pro. I think that's half the battle.

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  4. I have that book, too, and it's come in very handy for baby knitting.

    And go ahead and pull out the i-cord maker. I won't tell. ;-)

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  5. The colours in your knitting are gorgeous! Lots of lovely knitting going on here..

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  6. Looks great! I-cord is easy. You will do fine!

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  7. Wow, you have had a productive week. Your new book should give you some ideas for some more fun projects! Enjoy the rest of your week!

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  8. Pretty colours are all that matters - nice needles help the knitting confidence. Finished pieces are overrated!
    Enjoy your projects.

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  9. I love the colors of your yarn! I'm a knitting newbie too but you are much braver than I. :)

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  10. I love love love the colors on the shirt/dress!!! So pretty and so happy that you are getting so confident in your knitting!! Hope to see you tomorrow at Stash Bash.

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  11. I'm not a hardcore knitter, but I DID do the lovey dovey. One of the few patterns I've done with relative ease. Mine turned out too big....and so did Tracy's over at Clover (i think) so beware! Better too big than too small, no?
    XO

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    1. It is looking a little on the big side, and I only did the 9-12 month size!So i'm not sure how it's going to be. I guess I would have used a slightly smaller needle had I known.
      If it ends up huge, I might frog it...we'll see!

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